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Who knew retirement could be depressing and worse yet – dangerous? When you think of retirement, you think of having freedom and independence but the reality is different for many people. Consider the following:

The two most dangerous years of your life are the year you are born and the year you retire.

One-third of retirees will deal with depression.

The average retiree watches 43 hours of television each week, yet less than four percent spend more than nine hours each week helping others.

These statistics aren’t totally shocking when you think about it. Almost everyone knows someone, or at least has heard a story of someone, who passed away shortly after retirement. Growing up I heard of a U.S. Postal worker named Homer Hahus, a WWII veteran and the hardest working member of the Sutter County, California, post office, who passed away within two weeks of retirement having never cashed his first retirement check. This is not an uncommon story and is certainly a common fear – to plan and save your whole life and never live to enjoy retirement.

It is also understandable that retirement is stressful since it is a monumental change in life and many may not be properly prepared for it. Let’s face it; change is difficult and even more challenging as we get older. The book Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson, M.D., gives people a framework to deal with change instead of struggling to hold on to the old way of doing things. Many pre-retirees may never get to a place where they embrace and enjoy change as the author encourages them to do. However, anticipating and adapting to change is something they can do.

One reason retirees may not be experiencing their dream retirement is their planning may have been too linear – only focused on the financial aspect of retirement and not on the whole picture. You may find this line of thinking strange coming from me, as someone who has dedicated her life to financial education, but in truth finances should support your life, your life should not support your finances.

We recently talked with authors Alan Spector and Keith Lawrence, retired Quality Assurance and Human Resource professionals, respectively, with Procter and Gamble who interviewed hundreds of retirees and built on their own experience to learn about creating a fulfilling retirement. They outline ten elements to having a fulfilling retirement and adding meaning to life in their book, Your Retirement Quest: 10 Secrets for Creating and Living a Fulfilling Retirement. One of the key elements they outline is financial, of course, but others include well being, purpose/values, attitude, passions, giving back, connectedness, growth, fun, and having a plan. It follows suit that when a pre-retiree considers all of these key elements in their retirement, their financial plan is also going to be much better.

Alan and Keith suggest broadening retirement planning to include these key elements and start living them now. Here are five concepts to start with:

Plan holistically. Consider what gives you meaning in your life and create your plan around it. Many people derive satisfaction from the contribution they make at work. Consider how to replace that important aspect of life in retirement. Ask yourself what other things you can do to make a contribution. For example, if you are a writer or a marketer you could write a blog for your local library or help market community events such as charity runs. Take the skills you have and adapt them to a fulfilling retirement.

Practice retirement. Start now to transition into retirement rather than waiting until you are retired. Knowing that sweeping change is very stressful, counteract that by anticipating. Start on a small scale by incorporating your retirement dreams into your current lifestyle. If you plan on moving to another area of the country, spend time there now by taking extended vacations. If you plan on traveling more with your spouse, do it now and see how you like it. You may find that it is all you ever dreamed of, or you may get hit with the reality that you and your spouse like to do different things and traveling is not all it is cracked up to be. Doing the things you love (or think you’ll love) now will help you create a bridge to your retirement and helps reduce the possibility of disappointment.

Establish your social connections now. Relationships built around work tend to fade after retirement so build or strengthen those “outside” relationships today. Join the organizations you wish to spend time with in retirement to meet people and get connected. Then at retirement, you’ll be stepping into familiar territory. Even if you are moving, you can start where you are now. Follow the premise, “do the things you love and the people will follow.” As an example, one of our planners is moving from California to the mountain states. She is a lector at her church and attended church when visiting her new location. When she mentioned she was a lector, she was bombarded with enthusiasm. Turns out they are in desperate need of the very thing she loves to do. When she moves, she’ll be welcomed with open arms which will make the move all the more satisfying. Getting connected with people who share your interests will also create a bridge to transition to retirement.

Rediscover your passion. If you are excited about retiring so you can pursue your interests, why not start them now? An interesting, fulfilling retirement is much more satisfying than watching 43 hours of TV. (I do love TV and have my favorite shows, but there is such a thing as too much.) Rediscover some things you used to enjoy as a kid. Alan Spector loved to play baseball when he was 10 years old, so at 65 he continues to play baseball (not softball) in local leagues and tournaments all over the country. If your passion is an expensive hobby such as photography, consider dabbling into it now while you are still working because if you do end up loving it, you can purchase the equipment you need while you still have the higher income. (See my blog last week on 5 Things to Pay For before you retire.)